Non-Ficton

Keano

More of a lurker around these parts as I reckon most people who post here are fiction fans, I am open to correction though

Myself I prefer non-fiction, I have read a bit of fiction in my time but tend to prefer to read true crime, autobiographies and current affairs.

I'm currently reading Nothing To Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barabara Demick.

So are there any other purely non-fiction fans out there and got any recommendations?

AnnyHallsal

I'm reading Stuart Maconie's Pies and Prejudice. It's very funny and I'd certainly recommend it.

Denerick

I read both. I just finished 'Postwar' by Tony Judt, I'd highly recommend that. Its a fantastic sweeping account of Europe since the Second World War, right up to the divisions over Iraq and beyond.

AnnyHallsal

Leviathan by Philip Hoare's amazing. It's about whales, which might not sound all that fascinating, but my jaw dropped every few pages. It's one of those books you need to read while sitting to someone so you can pass on the wondrous morsels of knowledge you acquire.

Also loved Kate Summerscale's Suspicions of Mr Whicher, about the death of a little girl in the nineteenth century and the twists in the investigation that ensued.

All time favourite must be Don't Sleep There are Snakes by Dan Everett. Fascinating account of his life-long relationship with an Amazonian tribe.

youcancallmeal

I'm reading The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East by Robert Fisk at the moment. Its a massive book but fascinating if you have any kind of interest in 20th century history of the middle east.

smiles302

I just finished Dara O' Briain's new book "Tickling The English" and Philip Plait's book "Death From The Skies". Both brilliant and quite funny.

epgc3fyqirnbsx

Not a big non-fiction reader, damn all in fact, but one of the best book that I have read in the last few years is Wild Swans by Jung Chang.

It is the best way to learn history, you basically get a 100 year history of China. It's written by a chinese lady and starts with her grandmothers story when she was concubine to a warlord with bound feet as was meant to be attractive in the day. You get the Japanese occupation and the propaganda films that they were made watch and the horrifying images they contained.
You then get the writers parents who were major contributors to the communist party and the idealism that was in China, understandably given its previous nature.
You then see the hypocrisy of Mao and the purges.
And you get the viewpoint of the writer as an intellignet child growing up in a communist regime.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough, I passed it to mates who don't even 'read' and they devoured it, and it's 1000 pages +, within a week.

If they could have a similar book for every country learning history would be easy. I'd love to know more like it

metrovelvet

Emerald Square and A Walk in Alien Corn by Lar Redmond.

Einhard

Arthur and George By Julian barnes is a wonderful book. It's based on true events, but is written as a novel. It's quite sad and moving at times, but also very gripping. True History of the Kelly Gang is written in a similar vein. It's by Peter Carey.

AnnyHallsal

Einhard wrote: »

Arthur and George By Julian barnes is a wonderful book. It's based on true events, but is written as a novel. It's quite sad and moving at times, but also very gripping.

Arthur and George is marvellous..I still feel as if I know them.

Bartel

I read a lot of music biographies. Some good ones that I've read recently are:

Memoirs of a Geezer by Jah Wobble (the former bass player with PIL - a very good read about growing up in London in the 60s and 70s and some good stories about life in a band)

Open Up and Bleed (biography of Iggy Pop) by Paul Trynka (probably the best Iggy Pop biography out there. It's amazing how he has survived this long)

Apathy for the Devil by Nick Kent (memoirs of the rock journalist and his druggy days from the 70s. Again, you wonder how he made it out alive. A great book.)

Under Their Thumb by Bill German (story of how a Rolling Stones fanzine writer in the 70s was employed by the band. It charts how the Stones went from being 'just a rock band' to a multi-million dollar corporation)

epgc3fyqirnbsx

84, Charing Cross Road

84, Charing Cross Road, published in 1970, is constructed from a collection of correspondence between the author and a London bookseller, Frank Doel. The relationship began as Hanff delved into the work of a professor at Cambridge University. Professor ‘‘Q,’’ as he is called, became the catalyst for Hanff’s letter writing. Her admiration for the professor fueled her pursuit of classic literature, resulting in the inquiries comprising this work. 84, Charing Cross Road spans a twenty-year period, incidentally chronicling events abroad, such as Winston Churchill’s 1951 election in London and the U.S. Democratic presidential nomination in 1960.

This is an excellent book, a collection of letters that will really make you appreciate when people wrote letters.
Kinda makes you nostalgiac for something you never had (something I never had anyway)

metrovelvet

Giovanna Putrid Sarong wrote: »

84, Charing Cross Road



This is an excellent book, a collection of letters that will really make you appreciate when people wrote letters.
Kinda makes you nostalgiac for something you never had (something I never had anyway)

The movie is really sweet too.

Locamon

AnnyHallsal wrote: »

Arthur and George is marvellous..I still feel as if I know them.

Arthur and George was the book that should have won the booker.. an amazing read..
but not to hijack this forum completely I read 'Americans in Paris' recently about those Americans who remained in Paris under the Nazis -very well put together and also the excellent 'First Family' about the early mafia in America.. -both on American subjects is a genuine coincidence...

epgc3fyqirnbsx

metrovelvet wrote: »

The movie is really sweet too.

Didn't realise that there was one!
One more to watch

AnnyHallsal

I'd also recommend Sarah Churchwell's The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe. If you have interest in the woman or the myth it's a fascinating read.

YouThinkThat

I recently got landed with the 'Transformation of Ireland 1900 - 2000' as part of my bookclub. Its a huge book and a heavy read, and if you have an interest in Irish history it might be something that appeals to you. I stuck with it (well got half way through it before we had to meet again!) as the social and cultural commentary was interesting.

Also recently read The Tipping Point which expands on the concept of 'the tipping point' and makes references to real life situations.

losthorizon

Keano A Legend wrote: »

More of a lurker around these parts as I reckon most people who post here are fiction fans, I am open to correction though

Myself I prefer non-fiction, I have read a bit of fiction in my time but tend to prefer to read true crime, autobiographies and current affairs.

I'm currently reading Nothing To Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barabara Demick.

So are there any other purely non-fiction fans out there and got any recommendations?

If you are reading about North Korea then maybe to parallel that you could try Stasiland: Stories From Behind the Berlin Wall by Anna Funder. Its an Exellent book dealing with life in East Berlin and the GDR. Much of it is sad but there are some funny tales as well. Very enjoyable and its odd how citizens of the old GDR no matter how opposed to the old regieme they were still didnt hate everything about it but retained some loyalty.